River City: Tokyo Rumble
River City: Tokyo Rumble (熱血硬派くにおくんSP 乱闘協奏曲, Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-Kun SP: Rantō Kyōsōkyoku in Japan, which roughly translates to "Hot-Blooded Tough Guy Kunio SP: Brawl Concerto") is a beat 'em up role-playing game in the Kunio-kun franchise released for on August 8, 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. It was developed by Aplus Co., Ltd. and published by Arc System Works. The localized versions, released on September 27, 2016 and September 29, 2019 in North America and Europe, respectively, where published by Natsume. The game acts as a direct sequel to Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special and its prequel, Riki Densetsu. Like both of those games, the story was written by Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the creator of the series. The game uses the same graphical style from Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, which was also used in Special and Riki Densetsu. Kazuo Sawa, the composer of the original game, also returned to compose the game's music. This is the fifth game in the Kunio-kun series (since Super Dodge Ball for the Neo Geo) that uses the established Kunio-kun names for most of its characters instead of creating new names, while using the River City brand. Like River City Ransom EX, the graphics in-game are not altered. Development Story A mysterious organization known as the Kanto Lion Alliance is making a move to conquer Tokyo, the prefecture where Kunio of Nekketsu High School resides. Together with his friend and rival Riki, Shinji of Yokohama and Taiyō Academy's Misuzu, Kunio fights to put a stop to the takeover. Gameplay Before starting the game, the player must select from two different save files before they can access the game's 5 modes. These five modes are Story (すとーりー乱闘協奏曲, Story Melee Concerto), Rumble (かちぬきかくとう, Winning Fight), Dodgeball (くらぶかつどう, Club Activities), Gallery (ぎゃらりー) and Options. The Japanese version includes an option that allows players to link their Riki Densetsu clear save data to the game. This rewards players with Riki's Gloves and Riki's Sarashi, which they can equip. Story The player gets to play through the story of Kunio and his allies fighting the Kanto Lion Alliance. Gameplay is similar to Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special, but this time the player can recruit allies, travel by train and have a rematch against previously defeated bosses. Progress through the game's story mode is linear. The player has access to some of Tokyo's cities, which they can travel to by train once they are accessible. Each city has a number of areas with shops, restaurants and the train station. Each area also has a a hidden Mystery Store like in River City Ransom and Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki da yo Zen'in Shūgō!. One area of the city will have a boss from the Kanto Lion Alliance, which is fought after a scene. The player must visit each area of Tokyo and defeat the current boss until they finally gain access to the airport, where they travel to Hong Kong for the final battle. While in peaceful areas of the city, the player will come across various NPCs whom they can interact with by pressing the A''' button. The player can hit them (either accidentally or on purpose) and depending on the NPC, speaking to them again will trigger a random fight with some enemies or with the NPC. Rumble A battle royal mode similar to the event of the same name in Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai and Nekketsu Kakutō Densetsu. Up to four players can play together through local play or download play using many characters from the series. These characters are unlocked by playing through the Story Mode. Dodgeball Up to four players can play a dodgeball game together in the style of the Club Activities Mode in Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu (Bean Ball in Super Dodge Ball). The same characters used in Rumble are used in this mode. * '''Gallery: Includes a Character Database with information on each character once they are met in Story Mode, as well as a Sound Test with music unlocked once its heard during Story Mode. * Options: Players can increase the volume of the sound effects and music, toggle voice overs ON or OFF, change the game difficulty from Easy, Normal, Hard or Brutal, and change the game's controls. Only which buttons are used for punches, kicks and jumping can be changed. This options can be changed at any time during gameplay. Pause Menu The game's pause menu is accessed on the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS. The map of the game is displayed at all times during gameplay. The player can pause the game by pressing either the Start or Select buttons, and gives players access to a menu with the following items (the L''' and '''R buttons are used to switch between them): * Map: Displays the player's current location along with the location of the next objective. * Items: Shows the players inventory, including Items (includes scrolls with special moves and consumable food items), Badges that are dropped by enemies and Special items related to jobs and events (key items). * Status: Displays Kunio's stats and those of his allies, along with what items they are wearing. Pressing the Y''' button displays their special moves, which can be toggled ON or OFF. * '''Jobs: Shows a list of the part-time jobs that are currently in progress. When a job is completed, this option in the menu will be highlighted in green. * Options: The same settings screen found in the mode select screen. The player is free to change settings as they wish during gameplay, just like River City Ransom, Downtown Special: Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki and River City Ransom EX. * Save: Has to options. Save allows players to save their game (the game has no auto save feature). The other option returns the player to the Main Menu and Mode Select Screen. The player is warned beforehand to save the game first, lest their progress be lost. Money Just like in River City Ransom and its sequels, the player receives money (Japanese yen, Japan's official currency) after defeating enemies. Enemies also drop badges which can be sold for yen at shops. Money is used in these different kind of shops: * Restaurant: Includes restaurants, curry shops, cafeteria and sushi restaurants. The player can recover Stamina and Willpower for their character an ally here. * Tech Burger: A fast food joint, the player can take food to go and have it in their inventory. * Drug Stores: Sells drugs that allows the player and ally to recover together. * General Store: These stores sell equipment such as shoes, knuckles, belts and undershirts that increase character stats. * Bookstore: Players can purchase scrolls that teach Special Moves. * Mysterious Store: Hidden shops that sell expensive equipment and special moves which cannot be found in regular stores. At an specific point early in the game, the player will be given access to a store which offers Part-time Jobs. These jobs range from defeating a number of specific enemies, fighting specific bosses, and other missions, which reward the player with money, items, and characters to use in Rumble and Dodgeball. If the player is knocked out and has no remaining Stamina and Willpower, they will lose half of their money. The game has an item that removes this penalty. Stats Like Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, characters have levels and gain experience by defeating enemies. The status screen has an experience meter and when full, the character goes up one level. This increases their stats slightly. Some consumable items can grant stat boosts while equipment improves stats as well. Unlike River City Ransom but like in Downtown Special, food items purchased in stores only replenish Stamina and Willpower. The stats are the same from River City Ransom: * Punch: * Kick: * Weapon: * Strength: * Agility: * Defense: * Stamina: * Willpower: Controls & Moves Weapons Areas * Ikebukuro: * Shinjuku: * Yokohama: * Ueno: * Shibuya: * Asakusa: * Akihabara: * Shinagawa: * Airport: Characters Playable Characters * Kunio: The main character of the series, a thug with a heart of gold who looks out for his friends and fights for justice. He is a sucker for pretty girls, which sometimes leads to heartbreak. Kunio is the character controlled by the player during the game. He starts with no special moves, the player must purchase scrolls from shops to teach him moves. In Rumble mode, Kunio's special moves are the Mach Kick (Dragon Feet in Tokyo Rumble) and the Chopper Kick. In Dodgeball mode, his Super Shots are The Stinger and The Spear. * Riki: The banchō of Hanazono High School, Kunio's friend and rival. Just like Kunio, he fights for justice, but when his anger reaches the boiling point, he snaps and goes berserk. He is the first ally to join Kunio in the game. * Shinji: Leader of the Blue Emperors, a bōsōzuko gang in Yokohama. His friends trust him since he likes to help others and pitch in. He was Riki's senior in Hanazono High School and due to being older, he expects to be respected. He is the second ally to join Kunio. * Misuzu: Taiyō Academy's giant sukeban. She is physically huge and intimidates people, with a tough personality to match. She does have a girly side, however. She is the final ally to join Kunio. Gangs When entering areas of a city, the player will be attacked by four enemies of each gang simultaneously. Once they are all defeated, the player is free to explore the area for awhile before the enemy gang shows up again. The gang the player faces depends on the current city the player is located in. However, once Shishio gets involved and decides to actively pursue Kunio, only his Lion Alliance Corps will show up in all cities. Once Shishio is defeated, the thugs from the respective cities will return, while Shishio's thugs will only appear in Shinagawa. * City Delinquents: The gang fought in Ikekuburo. They drop 40 yen. They might drop the common Local Punk Button badge or the rare Local Punk Jacket badge. They are renamed Local Punks in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Hanazono High School Rogues: A group of Hanazono High School delinquents loyal to Sakata located in Shinjuku. They drop 30 yen. They might drop the common Hanazono High Button badge or the rare Hanazono High Jacket badge. Renamed to Hanazono High School Delinquents in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Delinquents of Yokohama: This local Yokohama gang does not belong to Shinji (they can be distinguished by the fact that they wear pink, while Shinji's Blue Emperors wear purple). They drop 50 yen. They might drop the common Biker Pin badge and the Rare Biker Patch badge. They are named Yokohama Hoodlums in River City: Tokyo Rumble. The Blue Emperors are fought during training with Shinji and they drop the same amount of yen as the Yokohama delinquents, but their common badge is the Emperor Pin and the rare badge the Emperor Patch. * Majishi Corps: Majishi's soldiers trying to take over Ueno alongside him. They drop 70 yen. They might drop the common Demon Pin badge or the rare Demon Patch badge. They are renamed Demon Lion Crew Thugs in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Benijishi Lion Alliance Corps: A gang of girl delinquents, followers of Benijishi trying to take control over Shibuya. They drop 90 yen when defeated. They might drop the Rouge Pin badge, which is common, or the rare Rouge Patch badge. These corps are renamed Rouge Lion Crew Thugettes in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Before fighting Benijishi, the player has to face the Cruel Court Ladies of the Red Lion Guard: Sanbou, Chousi and Nagae (known as the Cold-Blooded Teen Queens in River City: Tokyo Rumble, renamed Sassy, Cheeky and Catty). They drop 300 yen and might drop a common Rouge Button badge or a rare Rouge Satchel badge. They are fought again the first time the player faces off against Benijishi. * Renjishi Legion Corps: A gang wearing kabuki make-up, they are led by Twin Lions and are trying to take over Asakusa. They drop 120 yen. They might drop the common Twin Lion Pin or the rare Twin Lion Patch. Known as the Twin Lion Crew in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Before facing the Twin Lions, the player has to face The Four Heavenly Kings of Renjishi: Narita, Yorozu, Narikoma and Harima (known as the Four Horsemen in River City: Tokyo Rumble, and appropriately renamed Death, War, Plague and Famine). They drop 350 yen, and they might drop either, the common Twin Lion Armband badge or the rare Kabuki Ticket badge. * Strong City Delinquents: These thugs in Akihabara are palette swaps of the City Delinquents in Ikekuburo, but are much tougher. They drop 150 yen and they might drop the common Local Punk Badge or the rare Local Punk Satchel. They were renamed to Serious Punks in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Shishio Lion Alliance Corps: Before facing Shishio, these goons will attack the player in every city. Once Shishio is defeated, they become local to Shinagawa. They drop 180 yen and might drop the common Ultra Pin badge or the rare Ultra Patch badge. Known as Ultra Lion Crew Goons in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Antagonists * Wataru: Riki's second-in-command in Hanazono High School. Though loyal to Riki and Hanazono, he is also a wild card with his own agenda. He wishes to be the strongest in Tokyo and those whatever is necessary to gain advantages for himself. Wataru is the first boss of the game and is fought three times. * Sakata: A student of Hanazono High School with a big mouth, which he uses to lie and bluff. He was the original banchō of Hanazono High School, a position he talked himself into acquiring, before Riki took it from him. Sakata is fought three times as well during the game. * Ginjishi: The boss of the Kanagawa Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance. His real name is Shirogane. A cool pretty boy and quick-thinker who always finds a logical solution to a problem. His passion is motorcycles. Ginjishi is fought multiple times during the game. Named Silver Lion in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Majishi: Boss of the Tochigi Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance. His real name is Oda. He is the giant of the Alliance, hides his face behind a hockey mask and is not much for words. He has drawn many followers due to his macho charisma. Majishi is fought once as a boss, but the player can return to the location where they fought him for a rematch whenever they wish. Named Demon Lion in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Benijishi: A sukeban and boss of the Ibaraki Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance. Her real name is Benibayashi. An idol level beauty with a fan following, she is the only female member in the Alliance. She was formerly in a volleyball club and as a deadly spike move. Benijishi is fought once, but the player can fight her again after the first fight by returning to the area in which they fought her. Named Rouge Lion in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Ukyo: The older of the Twin Lions, one of the bosses of the Chiba Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance. His real name is Azuma Ukyo. He fights in sync with his brother and they have a devastating team attack. He can be distinguished from his brother by his facial scar. Ukyo and his brother are fought once, but after defeating them the player can return to the area where the fight took place and fight them again. * Sakyo: The younger of the Twin Lions, his real name is Azuma Sakyo. While his brother has a preference for basketball, he likes playing baseball. * Shishio: The boss of the Saitama Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance and arguably, their leader. His real name is Shigematsu. The full package, he is legendary for his fighting skills and charisma. Shishio is fought once, flanked by two giant toughs: Fujin and Raijin. Named Ultra Lion in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Sabu: The boss of the Sanwakai, a yakuza organization based near Nekketsu High School. The organization was nearly destroyed by Kunio previously, and after his defeat to Kunio, Sabu promised to keep his hands off Tokyo. However, Sabu has been planning to get revenge against Kunio for this humiliation, and orchestrates the Kanto Lion Alliance's conquest of Tokyo. Sabu is the game's final boss much like the previous game, this time he is fought together with Lee. * Lee: Sabu's biological older brother and the head of the Red Snake Triad organized crime syndicate. He was in Japan originally, but traveled to Hong Kong, where he found success. He assists Sabu to get revenge against Kunio. While Sabu fights using a handgun, Lee is a martial artist with knowledge of many fighting arts. * Kinjishi: The boss of the Gunma Crew of the Kanto Lion Alliance, his real name is Kaneda. Though at a young age, he is already the president of a startup company. He has no interest in conquering Tokyo and simply joined the Alliance for the thrill of the fight. Kinjishi does not appear in a normal playthrough of the game. When the player starts a new game with clear save data, Kinjishi will appear and can be fought. Named Gold Lion in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Supporting characters * Hiroshi: The top student in Nekketsu High School and Kunio's best friend. His specialty is getting in trouble, which tends to get Kunio involved. He is a fan of yakuza films. * Misako: A beautiful Nekketsu High School student with many admirers, even from other high schools. She frowns on delinquents, the sole exception being Kunio. After Kunio allies with Riki, Misako can always be found in front of Nekketsu High School, which allows the player to switch their allies or choose to travel alone. * Madoka: A teacher in Nekketsu High School, she is Kunio and Hiroshi's homeroom teacher. She is kind and always looking out for her students' best interest. She has her hands full trying to get Kunio out of a life of fighting. * Kyoko: A sophomore student in Hanazono High School and Riki's girlfriend. She is younger than Riki, but she keeps him on a tight leash with her firecracker personality. She is close friends with Misako. After completing the game once and using clear save data, Kyoko will join Misako in front of Nekketsu High School, allowing players to switch Kunio with one of their allies (this turns Kunio into an ally). Guest characters * Yoritsune: * Tobiyama: Named Skates in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Heilman: Named Helgi in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Mordov: Named Boris in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Njomo: Named Yemi in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Okada: * Maezawa: * Tsurumatsu: * Nizaemon: * Sugata: * Saotome: * Kumada: Named Swole in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Hayami: Named Rip in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Johnny: Named Rocky in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Raphael: Named Crush in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Toraichi: Named Tigerfang in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Toraji: Named Tigerclaw in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Gouda: Named Ivan in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Godai: Named Tex in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Ryūichi: Named Randy in River City: Tokyo Rumble. * Ryūji: Named Andy in River City: Tokyo Rumble. Localization Natsume released the game in North American and Europe, in the latter region it was only released digitally. River City: Tokyo Rumble is the fight game in the Kunio-kun series that is localized using the names of that franchise, with few alterations. It was first done in Super Dodge Ball for the Neo Geo, then became the norm with Super Dodgeball Brawlers. Like in River City Ransom EX, no alterations are made to the graphics, the game uses the River City name (much like the previous River City Super Sports Challenge and River City Soccer Hooligans) for the purpose of brand recognition. Regional differences The following are the changes from Rantō Kyōsōkyoku to Tokyo Rumble: * Since Riki Densetsu was not released in the West, it is impossible to link its clear save data to Tokyo Rumble, so the western players do not have access to the rewards. * The Kanto Lion Alliance is renamed the Tokyo Lion Alliance in Tokyo Rumble. * Benijishi (Rouge Lion) is described as a former ballerina in Tokyo Rumble, but in Rantō Kyōsōkyoku, she is instead a former member of a volleyball club. This makes sense, as her signature move is the Fireball Spike. * Many characters had their names changed from Rantō Kyōsōkyoku to Tokyo Rumble, much like in River City Ransom and Crash 'n the Boys. Some characters, like Sugata, which already had the name Cheese and Gary in previous works, uses his Kunio-kun series established name. Meanwhile, Kumada, who was previously named Barns and Ted, is renamed Swole. Codes & Secrets Trivia * This game marks Kyoko's second appearance in the Kunio-kun series, 19 years after the release of Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. She also appears as Riki's girlfriend instead of Mami, his girlfriend in the Downtown Nekketsu games. Gallery External links * Official site (Japanese) * [http://www.natsume.com/current_game/games/3DRCTR/index.html River City: Tokyo Rumble at Natsume's official website] * Strategy wiki (Japanese) References Category:Beat 'em up Category:Role-playing game Category:Games Category:Yoshihisa Kishimoto Category:Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun